EPA releases preparedness tool

The U.S. EPA has an ongoing effort to support drinking water and wastewater utilities and their partners at the local, state, and federal levels in their efforts to increase their preparedness and resiliency. As one part of this effort, EPA recently developed an updated Tabletop Exercise Tool for Water Systems: Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Climate Resiliency (TTX Tool) to assist those interested in planning and facilitating Water Sector-specific tabletop exercises. The TTX Tool expands on the capabilities of the first version of the tool, published in 2005.

The updated TTX Tool contains 15 scenarios that address an all-hazards approach to emergency preparedness and response, including natural hazards, manmade incidents, as well as the potential impacts of climate variability on the Water Sector.

The natural and manmade hazards address short-term emergency response activities, whereas the climate-related scenarios provide an opportunity for utilities to consider and implement long-term planning to mitigate the potential impacts of climate change. Each scenario has a fully-customizable situation manual, additional discussion questions, and PowerPoint presentation. Users can modify these materials, allowing them to conduct a tabletop exercise to meet their specific needs.

Physical copies of the tool are currently being distributed to the Water Sector. The contents of the tool will also be available online through WaterISAC and on EPA's website at www.epa.gov/watersecurity. To request copies of the TTX Tool, send an e-mail to ttxtool@epa.gov.